Registration: https://www.natcom.org/zoom-meetings/nca-vlo-understanding-authoritarianism-lessons-from-ukraine-and-europe/

Description:

The rapid rise of authoritarianism in the United States is the problem of power, but also of culture and communication. That is why the field of communication studies has a unique responsibility in developing communicative strategies to counter authoritarian rhetorics and fictions. To do that, however, we need to understand the thorough line between the current authoritarian turn in the US, the rise of authoritarianism in Europe, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This virtual learning opportunity will feature Ukrainian, European, North American, and Russian scholars who will address and analyze the ways in which rhetorics of land, peace, and identity have been weaponized by Russia against Ukraine; translated into the larger European geo-political contexts, and strategically adopted to organize the authoritarian thought in the United States. We will argue that understanding the Ukrainian invasion and Russian neo-imperialism within a larger European context is essential to creating a robust response to authoritarianism in North America.

Learning Outcomes:

Exploring the interconnection between authoritarianism in United States, parts of Europe, and Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Understanding of how authoritarian regimes mobilize ideologies and rely on rhetorics of land, language, identity, and peace to create powerful fictions.
Understanding of how Russian neo-imperialism and authoritarianism have been a contributing factor to both the division within Europe and the rise of authoritarianism in the North America